16 March 2024 – The Indian Express

Bhutan’s PM’s visit to India

• Bhutan’s prime minister is prioritising, during his visit to India, the establishment of a regional economic hub in Gelephu, a town situated along the border with Assam, India, in an era dominated by connectivity initiatives, large-scale infrastructure projects, and the development of smart cities worldwide.
• The goal of the project, unveiled by the King of Bhutan in December 2023, is to create a 1,000 square kilometre “Gelephu Mindfulness City” (GMC) as a special administrative zone with distinct, investor-friendly legislation and a distinctive Bhutanese architectural layout.

Important Information About Bhutan:

• Bhutan is a landlocked nation that is tucked between Tibet, an autonomous territory of China, and India.
• 2008 saw the holding of Bhutan’s first democratic elections, which marked the country’s transition to democracy. The Head of State is the King of Bhutan.
• From west to east, the Torsa (Amo), Wong (Raidak), Sankosh (Mo), and Manas are the principal rivers. From the Great Himalayas, all of the rivers travel southward to reach the Brahmaputra River in India.
• The Manas River, which flows transboundary between southern Bhutan and India in the Himalayan foothills, is the longest river in Bhutan.

Which Arguments Are There About the Development of GMC?

An Urban Carbon Neutrality:

• Gelephu would exclusively contain non-polluting industries (mostly IT, education, hotel, and healthcare sectors) and would be marketed as an investment destination and a centre for health and wellbeing in the midst of the area as a carbon-neutral city.
• That’s why the city resembles more recent global peers rather than financial centres with glass-cased skyscrapers like Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Examples of these peers are planned cities like Neom in Saudi Arabia and Nusantara in Indonesia.

Offering India’s Connectivity Plans a Filip:

• It would also be situated at the nexus of the new India-Japan connectivity plans between India’s northeastern States through Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean, as well as India’s “Act East” plans for connectivity to Myanmar, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Indo-Pacific region.

Meeting the Requirement for Lateral Land-Based Networking:

• Through “initiatives like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) to India’s West and the Trilateral Highway to India’s East,” the Ministry of External Affairs brought attention to the “need for lateral land-based connectivity across the Indian Ocean region which is essential to supplement and complement the maritime flows” at the 7th Indian Ocean Conference 2024 in Perth.
• Bhutan will gain from and profit from GMC’s numerous infrastructure developments. Bhutan will have the chance to join IMEC in the future thanks to it as well.
• Problems Caused by Hilly Terrain: Gelephu’s location, a unique wide plain surrounded by mountains, presents difficulties. Gelephu experiences heavy rainfall during a monsoon season that lasts many months due to warmer temperatures than in the highlands, which causes significant flooding every year.
• Problems arising from Geographical Factors: Gelephu is situated directly in the centre of elephant corridors due to the nearby woodlands and wildlife populations. Due to its landlocked status, Gelephu is dependent on other nations—mainly India—for the infrastructure necessary for trade and transportation outside of its special administrative region.
• Concerns about insurgencies in the northeastern States, Assam, and just across the Indian border in Myanmar have historically led to a major military operation (Operation All Clear) by the former king of Bhutan in 2003, wherein he collaborated with the Indian Army to drive out militant groups that were taking refuge in the region.

What Role Does the Gelephu Project Play?

• Encouraging Tourism: Bhutan has to build a far larger airport than the one it now has in the little Paro valley if it is to boost these profits. Bhutan must also expand its capability to receive more tourists and visitors and land larger planes.
• In order to bring the Gelephu airport and tarmac up to international standards, the first phase of the project will require funding and knowledge from India.
• Increasing Employment: The government believes that a massive project like Gelephu will stop the increasing “outmigration” of Bhutanese youth who are looking for work overseas.
• Handling Bhutan’s Geopolitical Concerns: Pressure from China, Bhutan’s northern neighbour, to reach a border resolution agreement and forge diplomatic links is Bhutan’s top geopolitical issue.
• Far to the south, Gelephu continues talks with Beijing for a stable border and gives Bhutan a way to open up to the outside world in a regulated fashion.
• Bringing India and Bhutan Closer: Over the past 75 years, India and Bhutan have established a wonderful relationship based on a solid understanding between each of the countries’ prime ministers. At present, Beijing does not have any direct neighbours save for India.
• India accounts for half of Bhutan’s total foreign direct investment (FDI), making it the country’s top investment source.
• India will also be cautious of “missing an opportunity” similar to what happened in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, ten years ago, which forced the neighbouring country to China and resulted in unmanageable debt.
• Fitting in with India’s Regional Needs: Gelephu’s infrastructure requirements will complement India’s own regional plans in the following ways:
• railroads all the way to the Bhutanese border;
• improved roadways to connect to Southeast Asia and Myanmar via the trilateral route;
• collaboration with Japan to plan the building of roads and bridges in Bangladesh to enable access to the ports of Chattogram and Mongla;
• Modernising border crossings with each of the three adjacent landmasses to facilitate smooth trade.
• Encouraging Demand for Power Supply: India’s plans for a South Asian power grid that would draw electricity from Nepal and Bhutan and supply it to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, along with climate-friendly solar and wind power generation projects, would lend itself to the more reliable power supplies required for Gelephu.

What are the recommendations for strengthening India’s ties with its neighbours going forward?

• Clearly, the current circumstances are not ideal for a mega-smart city to emerge with no quick returns on the investment planned for the GMC.
• Nevertheless, India too needs to find its tribe in South Asia, a region that shares language, religion, culture, geography, and climate, as the world becomes more divided and nations choose “tribal” foreign policies that lean more towards their local allies.
• Similar forays in other directions, such as assisting Nepal in covering the costs of its new airports by allowing overflight rights, continuing the projects committed to the Maldives despite recent setbacks in ties, and even considering a new chapter with Pakistan, amidst all its other political and economic turmoil, can multiply the goodwill generated by India’s generous support to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis and steadfast relationship with Bangladesh.
• Cooperation in areas that are more recent and go beyond the traditional boundaries, like new STEM-based initiatives, the creation of digital infrastructure like the Third International Internet Gateway, the integration of Bhutan’s DrukRen with India’s National Knowledge Network—a crucial area of cooperation in the field of e-Learning—and the E-library project, which supports Bhutan’s efforts at e-learning, are all commendable.
• However, in order to foster more economic and infrastructural integration and foster goodwill, such initiatives must be carried out throughout the whole spectrum of South Asian nations.
• In the context of Indo-Bhutan relations, the significance of environmental sustainability cannot be emphasised enough. Given their shared abundance of natural resources, India and Bhutan must cooperate in order to maintain and safeguard these resources for coming generations.
• Consequently, it is imperative that Bhutan and India maintain their focus on environmental sustainability in their bilateral ties and continue to strive towards realising their common objectives of advancing sustainable development and safeguarding natural resources.
• Bhutan has a bold vision for sustainable development with its ambitious proposal for the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) in the centre of the province. In spite of formidable obstacles including climate change and geopolitical pressures, the project represents Bhutan’s hopes for increased connectivity and economic development. India’s key involvement in spearheading this effort highlights the possibilities for regional collaboration as well as the close ties that exist between the two countries. As both nations manoeuvre through intricate regional dynamics, the Gelephu project serves as evidence of their mutual dedication to regional development and prosperity.